THE DUIMPIE BAYLY Veritas Vertex Award for “the overall champion” at the 2021 edition of South Africa’s oldest bottled wine [and brandy] show, still one of the biggest competitions of its kind in the country, was presented to Spier of Stellenbosch for the 2018 vintage of their Creative Block 5, a Bordeaux-style red blend. However, special mention was also made
Read moreWHEN THE ‘sold out’ sign went up days before The Cap Classique 50 Year Celebration at Simonsig Estate in Stellenbosch where the story of MCC began, it was a reminder of how popular South Africa’s bottle-fermented sparklers have become among producers and consumers alike. Due to COVID regulations, regrettably only 250 wine lovers were given access to the walk-around tasting
Read moreTHERE ARE some who would like to change the name to Banhoek (without the ‘g’), but be that as it may. The valley in the eastern reaches of the Stellenbosch winelands comprises some top cellars and guesthouses that have banded together across the boundary lines which separate the wards of Banghoek and the Simonsberg on either side of the Helshoogte
Read moreWHAT WITH the Agulhas Triangle festival among the highlights on the wine calender end-October 2021, those in attendance at Lomond outside Gansbaai – or those who might have dreamt of going along but didn’t – and who would like a checklist of what to look out for when it comes to wines of the area, the following have received good
Read moreMOST OF the South African wines assessed for Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Chardonnay Report were from grapes harvested in 2020, which the judges felt was “a slightly lesser vintage” relative to 2019 when it comes to this variety, “the wines not having the same fruit concentration”. Their absolute favourites of the 93 Chardonnays submitted by 67 producers were: from Stellenbosch cellars,
Read moreWHAT TO make of it?! Over 200 wineries exhibiting at the ‘Critics’ Choice Grand Tastings’ of Wine Spectator’s 2021 New York Wine Experience in October and Grand Tour of Las Vegas, Washington and Chicago in December: perhaps surprisingly, most (62) from Italy, then 51 of the USA, 28 from Spain, 23 from France, 15 from Portugal, 10 from Chile, 9
Read moreHOW ABOUT THAT! Less than a month after the 2020 Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin in DGB’s Bellingham portfolio was included among South Africa’s Top 10 Challenge winners, it went on to score 95/100 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London. The 2020 Donkiesbaai Steen from the Guardian Peak cellar is also a multiple award winner, having received good
Read moreBEFORE considering the majority vote… Upon conclusion of the 2021 Ultra Value Wine Challenge, the guys and gals at BuyBetterWine.com announced their SA red and white wines of the year to be the 2018 vintage of Stellenbosch Hills Merlot, at the cellar-door price of R92 per bottle, and the 2021 Goudini Chenin Blanc at R60pb from uniWines in Rawsonville. Also
Read moreTHE International Wine & Spirit Competition organisers in the UK are holding back on announcing their 2021 trophy winners, but in the meantime they’ve disclosed the names of gold medallists including 26 South African wines (see below for those scored 96 or 95 out of 100) while teasing the audience with some feedback from the judges. The top-scoring SA wines
Read more“THIS YEAR will be remembered as a world-class Top 10,” said Kleine Zalze winemaker RJ Botha, chairman of Sauvignon Blanc South Africa. There were 157 wines entered by 96 producers in the 2021 edition of the association’s competition, with four of the winning wines having achieved the feat before – from Kleine Zalze and Spier of Stellenbosch, Nitida of
Read moreTHERE WERE 125 entries from various parts of the South African winelands submitted for Winemag’s 2021 Prescient Sauvignon Blanc Report. Most were unwooded, some were wooded and some comprised blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon (albeit that this isn’t always disclosed on the labels). And there were plenty that delighted the panel of tasters including Winemag editor Christian Eedes (chair),
Read moreCAN YOU BELIEVE IT! Just after a case of Alheit’s 2017 Radio Lazarus sold for R34 140, i.e. R5690pb, a single bottle of the 2018 vintage sold for R25 036, followed by a bottle of the 2012 for R6449… Whether or not whoever paid over R25K thought he or she was buying one or six bottles of this wine
Read moreIT WAS JUST a matter of time, some would say. The Benguela Cove estate alongside the Bot River Lagoon on the road to Hermanus has been on many a wine lover’s radar since entrepreneur Penny Streeter and her family began investing in the area and particularly after cellarmaster Johann Fourie came on board five years ago. Their success at the
Read moreAT THE 2021 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction hosted by Bonhams in London, fetching the highest prices on the day were Abrie Beeslaar and the Kanonkop Estate in Stellenbosch, and David Nieuwoudt of the Cederberg Private Cellar. The 2018 vintage of Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer (Cab-led red blend) attracted bids of up to R2500 per 750ml bottle and R2125 pb
Read moreWITH THEIR achievements in the 2021 edition of the Perold Absa Cape Blend Competition, the five winners showed once again how consistently good their wines are as combos with Pinotage being the leading component comprising between 30% and 70%. Since the competition was first held by the Pinotage Association in 2011, KWV has now won trophies with seven vintages,
Read moreAT STRAUSS & Co’s 27 September 2021 fine wine auction of 10-year-olds, the Sadie Family of the Swartland, Klein Constantia as well as the Stellenbosch cellars of Kanonkop, Vilafonté and Glenelly stood out as those fetching more than R2000 a bottle. Bidding for the red blend Keet First Verse and the Reserve Cab from Le Riche stopped just short of
Read moreON THE EVE of the 100th test match between the Springboks and the All Blacks, on a rugby field in Australia, came the news that the countries’ winemakers had all but shared the spoils in an encounter featuring some of their top Sauvignon Blancs. The overall winner was South Africa, however the two top-scoring wines were from New Zealand, namely
Read moreWHO WOULD have thought that of the Top 100 winery destinations in the world, seven are in Lebanon, three in Russia? None in China, surprisingly enough, but there’s at least one worth seeking out in Japan, and one in India too! In the third year of the World’s Best Vineyards Academy awards organised and compiled by William Reed Business Media
Read moreWINNER of the 2021 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge: Kleine Zalze Vintage Brut 2015. South African sparkling wine made according to the traditional method made famous in Champagne, France. Stellenbosch cellar of Kobus Basson. Stellenbosch grapes: 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Bottle-fermented, matured for five years prior to disgorgement. R238pb ex-cellar. This follows glowing reviews for the 2013 vintage, best
Read moreCONSISTENCY is a wonderful thing, as is the emergence of new stars and the resurgence of others. It would be surprising should Stellenrust and DeMorgenzon not feature among the Top 10 in the annual Challenge staged by the Chenin Blanc Association of South Africa, sponsored by Standard Bank. Ditto two other Stellenbosch cellars, Kleine Zalze and Ken Forrester –
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